Taylor Twellman scored his 100th Major League Soccer goal (regular season and playoffs) in spectacular fashion last Thursday: turning his back to high looping deflection, Twellman executed a perfect bicycle kick in between two Chicago defenders. The goal, his 100th in 176 regular-season and playoff matches, was enough to see the New England Revolution through to Sunday's MLS Cup final.

Frank Dell'Apa of the Boston Globe points out that it wasn't an easier road reaching that milestone. Twellman spent two frustrating years in Germany with 1860 Munich before joining the Revolution in 2002. At 1860, he started off playing right fullback, a position he had never played before. Twellman didn't get an opportunity to play striker, his natural position, until six months later. In two seasons with the Bundesliga club, Twellman never made a single first-team appearance. Worse, he felt isolated by his teammates as the lone American.

Sensing that he needed a change, Twellman left 1860 and a lucrative contract behind to enter the 2002 MLS draft. Then-Revs coach Fernando Clavijo drafted the striker, who would earn the league minimum salary during his first year. Soon thereafter, things turned around quickly for Twellman. He finished second in scoring in his first season with the Revs and has consistently remained at the top of the goal-scoring charts over the last five seasons. He now earns the league-maximum salary of $400,000.